Obira, on the Obirashibe River: Late Cenomanian - Early Turonian, Japan

List of taxa
Where & when
Geology
Taphonomy & methods
Metadata & references
Taxonomic list
Osteichthyes - Plesiosauria - Polycotylidae
Polycotylidae indet. Williston 1908
1 individual
UMUT MV 19965 (2 cervicals, 1 dorsal, 2 sacrals, 4 caudals, 3 indet. vertebrae partial pectoral girdle, ribs, right forelimb, fragmentary pectoral girdle, stomach contents)
see common names

Geography
Country:Japan State/province:Hokkaido County:Rumoi District
Coordinates: 44.1° North, 142.0° East (view map)
Paleocoordinates:50.9° North, 144.4° East (Wright 2013)
Basis of coordinate:stated in text
Geographic resolution:small collection
Time
Period: Cretaceous Epoch: Late Cretaceous
Stage: Cenomanian - Turonian 10 m.y. bin: Cretaceous 5 - Cretaceous 6
Key time interval: Late Cenomanian - Early Turonian Ammonoid zone:  Biostrina nipponica
Age range of interval: 100.5 - 89.8 m.y. ago
Stratigraphy
Geological group:Middle Yezo
Lithology and environment
Primary lithology:massive lithified siltstone
Includes fossils?Y
Lithology description: "This locality is relatively poor in megafossils compared with other parts of the Middle Yezo Group. The outcrops are mainly composed of monotonous siltstone, suggesting a constant supply of fine sediments in a low energy, offshore environment. The strata at the locality dip about 50 degrees west, and are almost perpendicular to the outcrop surface, suggesting that missing parts of the fossil had been eroded away before excavation.
Environment:offshore
Taphonomy
Modes of preservation:body
Size of fossils:macrofossils
Spatial orientation:random
Preservation of anatomical detail:medium
Abundance in sediment:rare
Fragmentation:frequent
Spatial resolution:parautochthonous
Collection methods and comments
Collection excludes:some macrofossils
Collection methods:field collection
Collection size:1 individuals
Reason for describing collection:general faunal/floral analysis
Metadata
Database number:102078
Authorizer:M. Carrano Enterer:H. Street
Modifier:H. Street Research group:vertebrate
Created:2011-01-07 09:14:58 Last modified:2025-02-22 15:12:02
Access level:the public Released:2011-01-07 09:14:58
Creative Commons license:CC0
Reference information

Primary reference:

34686. T. Sato and G. W. Storrs. 2000. An early polycotylid plesiosaur (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) from the Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan. Journal of Paleontology 74(5):907-914 [M. Carrano/H. Street]